BA deposit only

[svt153]

I'm just playing around with BA flights for next year. People have posted that booking just a one night stay in a hotel, along with your flight, allows you to pay a deposit only. I can't get this to work. It works if I book flight and car hire but not flight and hotel. I've tried using various options, like adding a longer hotel stay or two hotel stays but it still wants payment in full.

We would rather book car hire separately through Alamo.

Anyone managed to do this?

[mickeyspal]

We did it on the phone , booked 3 flights and hotel for the night before at Gatwick, paid £50 pp deposit. And as that makes it a package you get atol protection

[prettymiarose]

Have you thought about booking flights with car then cancel the car later? We always need a car so haven’t done this but I would have thought if you change your mind on the car element you can cancel closer to the time of departure? Maybe check t&c to be sure but could be a good way to get your deposit option

[sumih]

Originally Posted by svt153

I'm just playing around with BA flights for next year. People have posted that booking just a one night stay in a hotel, along with your flight, allows you to pay a deposit only. I can't get this to work. It works if I book flight and car hire but not flight and hotel. I've tried using various options, like adding a longer hotel stay or two hotel stays but it still wants payment in full.

We would rather book car hire separately through Alamo.

Anyone managed to do this?

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We did exactly this with BA yesterday. We too wanted to just pay deposit and prefer to hire a car through Alamo. I think I went to book flight and hotel and then customise your trip. This then allows you to book flights and add a hotel either before or after your flight.
Hope that helps.
Sue

[iang27]

We have found the cost of BA car hire has always been very competitive and they seems to give a package discount compared to flight only.

[scooby99]

Can I ask why you want to book car hire via Alamo separately?

BA offer car hire through Avis which includes fully inclusive insurance; you can also join Avis Preferred to go straight to the garage and British Airways Executive Club to get your spouse as a 2nd driver for free.

We always book this way & have had some major bargains; our best, when we added a SUV for 3 weeks, the cost of flight only to flight plus car increased by only £52!

[scooby99]

Originally Posted by prettymiarose

Have you thought about booking flights with car then cancel the car later? We always need a car so haven’t done this but I would have thought if you change your mind on the car element you can cancel closer to the time of departure? Maybe check t&c to be sure but could be a good way to get your deposit option

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Never done this & don’t absolutely know the answer but you may not be able to do this.

When you book a car/flight, you’re not buying from BA, you’re buying from BA Holidays; strange but 2 separate companies under the same IAG umbrella.

BA Holidays can often access lower fare classes for flights which BA may not be able to access.
This is why adding a car can sometimes result in only a small increase to the flight only price.

If you cancel the car, you may be classed as cancelling the BA holiday and no longer eligible for the flight at that price and asked to pay the BA flight price.

You need to check the T’s & Cs; I may be completely wrong.

[mason1]

If you click on flight + hotel, then click customise trip you can do the flights and 1 night hotel.

[Peko]

Originally Posted by prettymiarose

Have you thought about booking flights with car then cancel the car later? We always need a car so haven’t done this but I would have thought if you change your mind on the car element you can cancel closer to the time of departure? Maybe check t&c to be sure but could be a good way to get your deposit option

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Originally Posted by scooby99

Never done this & don’t absolutely know the answer but you may not be able to do this.

When you book a car/flight, you’re not buying from BA, you’re buying from BA Holidays; strange but 2 separate companies under the same IAG umbrella.

BA Holidays can often access lower fare classes for flights which BA may not be able to access.
This is why adding a car can sometimes result in only a small increase to the flight only price.

If you cancel the car, you may be classed as cancelling the BA holiday and no longer eligible for the flight at that price and asked to pay the BA flight price.

You need to check the T’s & Cs; I may be completely wrong.

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scooby99 is correct, you can’t do this (cancel the car) without breaking the package and having the flights repriced at the going rate for flight-only.

However, you can book the package and just no-show the BA car hire if you don’t want to use it or want to book separate car hire. Many people do this.

BTW, the reason why BA Holidays is technically a separate company to BA (similarly VH and VS, regardless of the impending name change to the tour operator), is down to an archaic piece of UK law. By law, airlines cannot be ATOL-holders, so those that want to sell packages have to set up a separate, ring-fenced company for the purpose. In practice BAH and VAH are both part of their respective airlines to all intents and purposes.

[prettymiarose]

Thanks Peko, that’s so helpful. We got crazy cheap flights to Tampa direct from Gatwick but wanted the deposit option just in case so added the car. We are offsite beach/Orlando depending on the situation next April so will definitely keep the car.